Water heating system



May 27, 1941.

ll-ll J fi r l u W. AUCKLAND WATER HEATING SYSTEM Filed July 1, 1939INVENTOR. 14 1/4602 A 6 47/20 ATTORNEY.

Patented May 27, 1941 6 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in water heating systems and is acontinuation in part of my pending application for Letters Patent of theUnited States filed November 5, 1938, Ser. No. 239,071.

Considered broadly, the system which I provide is one in which steam isinjected into a pressure stream of water and, through theinstrumentality of controlling the pressure differential which obtainsbetween the two, the proportionate admission of steam regulated, thesystem being so devised that the temperature of the water is governedsolely by the manipulation of the faucet valve through which the wateris drawn.

Stated more particularly, the invention resides in a water heatingsystem employing a steam valve which opens against the pressure of thesource of water supply and relies for its operation upon an associationof parts such that the pressure which obtains in the source of watersupply is effective to hold the steam valve upon its seat, the valveopening only as a pressure difierential develops favoring the steam. Itmay be here stated that the system illustrated and described in myabove-identified pending application precluded use of the same underconditions where the pressure of the steam exceeded the pressure of thestatic water, this by reason of an arrangement which depended solelyupon the static pressure of and it is a particular object of my presentimprovements to provide a heater in which mechanical pressure meansserve to augment the static pressure of the water and thereby assure,

from the combination of the two, a pressure efthe water to seat thesteam valve,

iective to operatively oppose the pressure which obtains on the steameven though the latter actually exceeds the pressure of the staticwater.

The invention is one which operates by the physical law of pressuredifferentials to blend steam and water to a desired temperature andessentially consists in a system so engineered as to utilize the valveof a discharge faucet as the sole agency for controlling the pressuredifierential, and further consists in the novel construction and in theadaptation and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a vertical sectional View with parts in elevationrepresenting a heating plant embodying the subject matter of the presentinvention.

Fig. 2 is an elevational view illustrating the outer of two cylindricalshells with which the mixing chamber is partitioned for breaking up thewater flow.

Fig. 3 is an elevational view'illustrating the inner shell; and

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are horizontal sections on the respective section lines44, .'i--5 and 66 of Fig. 1.

Represented by the numeral 1 in the drawing is the main body of theheater, preferably a brass casting open at both ends and forming amixing chamber into which steam and'water are admitted and from whicheither cold, warm or hot Water is withdrawn. The steam pipe, leadingfrom a suitable supply source, is designated by 8 and connects with afitting 9 which threads into the lower end opening of the body. The coldWater pipe, similarly leading from! a suitable source of pressuresupply, is designated by It! and threads into a lateral boss II disposedat the upper end of the body. Also provided by the body adjacent itslower end is a lateral boss l2 internally threaded for the reception ofa discharge faucet valve i3. M indicates a Monel metal insert for thefitting 9 functioning as a seat for a Monel metal ball E5 arranged toopen in the direction of steam injection, the ball check being engagedby a keeper HS and yieldingly infiuenced into closed position by ahelical compression spring H. For regulating the compression exerted bythe spring, a threaded spindle I8 is provided which works in a bonnet 20received in the upper'end opening of the body, the bonnet being fittedwith .a stuffing box 2!.

Within the mixing chamber in surrounding relation to the ball check andits controlling spring assembly are a pair of concentrically mountedinner and outer tubular casings or shells 22 and 23 which extend thelength of the chamber and are spaced one from the other and from theinner wall of the chamber. Each of the shells, to accommodate thepassage of water, is provided at its upper end with a series ofcircumferentially spaced openings, as 2 and 25. The inner of thesepartitioning shells, for a similar purpose, is provided at its base witha series of circumferentially spaced archways 26, and at the base of theouter partitioning shell is an outlet port 2'! of major volumetriccapacity adapted to be brought into register with the discharge port ofthe body. In order that these ports, that of the boss l2 and the port2?, may be maintained in register I provide a finger dependency 28 whichis bent outwardly from the shed 23 to lodge in the outlet port of thebody.

In applying the system it is essential that the fiow capacity throughthe mixing chamber be less than that of thefaucet i3, thereby to permitthe effective pressure of the water as applied to the check valve undera dynamic condition to be reduced below the pressure which obtains undera static condition of the water. There are several ways in which thisend may be accomplished as, for example, by an installation providing acold water pipe which has a fixed flow capacity less than the maximumopening of the faucet, by the employment of flow-governing means in thecold water pipe such as the key-regulated valve illustrated in myafore-mentioned pending patent application, or by the ultilization ofmeans equivalent to the shells 22 and 23 effective to interrupt the freeflow of water through the mixing chamber.

It is believed that the principle of operation is best understood byconsidering, first, an installation in which the static water pressureexceeds the steam pressure and thereby functions, independently of thespring, to hold ball [5 upon its seat. Under such conditions the ball isrelieved of the spring pressure. The initial opening of the faucet suchas to provide a water discharge less than the eflective flow into themixing chamber maintains this pressure differential to permit cold waterto be drawn from the faucet. The heating agent is thereafter injected asthe dynamic pressure of the water, by progressive opening of the faucet,is caused to automatically fall below the steam pressure, thetemperature of the withdrawn water being raised in direct proportion tothe degree to which the faucet is opened. Considering, now, aninstallation where the pressure of the steam is greater than the staticpressure of the water, it will be seen that I compensate for thisadverse pressure differential by the employment of the spring I'l,adjusting the tension thereof through regulation of the spindle to apoint whereat the combined pressures of the spring and the static waterexceed the steam pressure.

It will of course be apparent that the source of energy on the issuingwarm or hot water is the pressure of the steam, eliminating the annoyingand damaging hammer which is characteristic of the bulk ofsteam-injection water heaters heretofore devised.

The invention and the manner of its usage should be clear from theforegoing description and while I have therein set forth in detail mypreferred embodiment without reference to various modifications whichreadily occur without the exercise of invention, I propose nounnecessary limitations and intend that the hereto annexed claims begiven a scope in their interpretation commensurate with the state of theadvance in the art.

What I claim, is:

1. In a water heating system operating by the injection of a fluidheating agent into the water to be heated, the combination of a mixingchamber of relatively small volumetric capacity having a pair ofadmission ports leading to and a delivery port leading from the same, apipe connecting one of the admission ports with a pressure source ofcold water supply, a pipe connecting the other admission port with apressure supply of a fluid heating agent, a check valve for thelast-named admission port arranged to close against the pressure of theheating agent, and a manually regulated valve operating to govern theflow capacity of the delivery port in relation to that of the cold wateradmission port and acting by the degree to which the former exceeds thelatter to obtain a progressive reduction in the pressure of the waterwithin the mixing chamber below the pressure of the heating agent,thereby to control the relative opening of the check valve andproportionate admission of the fluid heating agent into the stream ofcold water flowing through the mixing chamber.

2. In a water heating system operating by the injection of a fluidheating agent into the water to be heated, the combination of a mixingchamber of relatively small volumetric capacity having a pair ofadmission ports leading to and a delivery port leading from the same,one of said admission ports being adapted for connection with a pressuresource of cold water supply and the other admission port being adaptedfor connection with a pressure supply of the heating agent, a checkvalve for the last-named admission port arranged to close against thepressure of the heating agent, and a manually regulated valve for thedelivery port operating by its progressive opening to obtain a reductionin the pressure of the water within the mixing chamber from a staticcondition whereat the same functions to hold the check valve upon itsseat to a dynamic condition whereat an effective pressure diiferentialobtains favoring the heating agent.

3. A water heating system according to claim 2 in which an obstructionto the free flow of water between the water-admission and the deliveryports is provided within the mixing chamber.

4. In a water heating system operating by the injection of a fluidheating agent into the water to be heated, the combination of a mixingchamber having a delivery port and a pair of admission ports of whichone of the latter is located relatively in immediate proximity of thedelivery port and is adapted for connection with a pressure supply ofthe heating agent, the other of said admission ports being adapted forconnection with a pressure source of cold water supply, a check valvefor the first-named admission port arranged to close against thepressure of the heating agent, pressure-applying means associated withthe check valve and operating to augment the pressure of the waterwithin the mixing chamber for influencing the check valve into itsclosed position, and a manually regulated valve for the delivery portoperating by its progressive opening to obtain a reduction in thepressure of the water within the mixing chamber from a condition whereatthe combined pressures of the water and the pressure-applying means aregreater to a condition whereat said combined pressures are less than thepressure of the heating agent.

5. In a water heating system operating by the injection of a fluidheating agent into the water to be heated, the combination of a mixingchamher having a delivery port in its side adjacent the bottom and apair of admission ports of which one of the latter lies at the upper endof the chamber and is adapted for connection with a pressure supply ofcold water and the other of which lies at the base of the chamber and isadapted for connection with a pressure supply of the heating agent, aball acting as a check valve for the last-named admission port arrangedto close against the pressure of the heating agent, a spring engagingsaid ball and operating to augment the pressure of the water within themixing chamber for influencing the ball into its closed position, and amanually regulated valve for the delivery port operating by itsprogressive opening to obtain a reduction in the pressure of the Waterwithin the mixing chamber from a condition whereat the combinedpressures of the Water and the spring function to hold the ball upon itsseat to a condition whereat a pressure difierential obtains favoring theheating agent.

6. In a water heating system operating by the injection of a fluidheating agent into the water to be heated, the combination of a mixingchamber having a delivery port and a pair of admission ports of whichone of the latter is adapted for connection with a pressure supply ofcold Water and the other with a pressure supply of the heating agent, acheck valve for the lastnamed admission port arranged to close againstthe pressure of the heating agent, a spring engaging the check valve andoperating to augment the pressure of the Water Within the mixing chamberfor influencing the check valve into its closed position, a manualcontrol for regulating the tension of the spring to vary the pressureexerted on the check valve, and a manually regulated valve for thedelivery port operating by its progressive opening to obtain a reductionin the pressure of the water within the mixing chamber from a conditionWhereat the combined pressures of the water and the spring function tohold the check valve upon its seat to a condition whereat a pressurediiferential obtains favoring the heating agent.

WILLIAM AUCKLAND.

